Toy racing game



Sept. 23, 1958 V M. 1. GLASS 2,853,301

TOY RACING GAME Filed March 1, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 23, 1958 M. 1. GLASS 2,853,301

TOY RACING GAME Filed March 1, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

United States Patent TOY RACING GAME Marvin I. Glass, Chicago, 111.

Application March 1, 1955, Serial No. 491,351

2 Claims. (Cl. 273-86) Another object is to provide a toy racing game provided 1 with a plurality of trackways and racing pellets for each trackway with an obstruction in each trackway to cause the racing pellets to move from one trackway to another during their course of travel and thereby provide a highly exciting race in which the outcome cannot be forecast.

Another object is to provide a racing toy of the foregoing character having a starting gate for starting all the pellets simultaneously and a finish gate which blocks the trackways after the first pellet enters, thereby readily determining the winner of the race.

Another object is to provide a toy of the foregoing character which is demountable and which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects will become apparent as this description progresses.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the toy.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of a section of the ramp and showing the pellets descending thereon.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional view taken on line 7--7 of Fig. 1 and showing a pellet in the process of jumping from one track to another.

Fig. 8 is a view of the finish gate.

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the pellet.

Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective'view of a portion of the upright and the .upper end of the ramp, and

Fig. 11 is a side view of a rib which is positioned on the ramp.

Fig. 12 is an end view of the rib shown in Fig. 11.

The toy includes a ramp or trackway'generally indicated at 10 and an upright support or standard generally indicated at 12 to which the ramp is detachably secured. The detachment being provided so that the toy may be packed in knockdown condition.

The standard comprises a base 14, with upwardly extending side legs 16, an inclined ledge 18 having a pair of slots 20 adjacent the rear thereof. The legs extend upwardly of the ledge. A rear wall 22 extends upwardly of the ledge and terminates in a forwardly extending lip 24. An intermediate wall section 26 extends forwardly of the rear wall 22. A pair of spaced ears 30 are provided in the top of the lip. The back of the rear wall is recessed. A starting gate generally indicated at 34 is pivotally supported in the cars 30 and said starting gate 2,853,301 Patented Sept. 23, 1958 comprises an oval shaped loop member 36 having a rearwardly extending section 38 which carry the trunnions 39 which are supported in the ears 30. The section 38 extends rearwardly as at 40 beyond the edge of the back of the rear wall 22 and when the starting gate is raised as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, the section 40 rests in the recess to limit the upward pivoting of the starting gate. The wall surface between the ears 30 limits the downward movement of the starting gate 34. The starting gate has a knob portion 42 which may be designated to simulate a figure of some kind. The starting gate 34 may be manually raised and lowered by engaging the knob portion 42.

The ramp generally designated by the numberal 10 forms the racing track for the toy and same comprises a bottom wall or floor 44 provided with 5 equally spaced rails, 46, 47, 48, 49 and 50 which form 4 separate trackways, A, B, C and D. The ramp has a tortuous shape as shown. Any number of trackways more or less than those shown may be provided and the trackway may be either straight, tortuous or any other shape provided the length of each trackway from start to finish is the same.

The upper end 52 of the ramp 10 which fits on the ledge 18 is recessed as at 53 (Fig. 4) to accommodate the intermediate'section 26. The bottom wall 44 of the ramp 10 has a pair of spaced downwardly extending pins 52 which engage the slots 20 to detachably lock the ramp to the standard 12 in an inclined position.

The lower portion of the ramp 10 is provided with downwardly extending side walls 56 which continue forwardly to form a bumper shaped front wall 57 which is spaced from the front of the rails. The rails 46 to 50 project forwardly of the bottom wall 44 of the ramp as best shown in Figs. 1 and 8.

The side walls 56 are provided with vertical slots 58 to receive the shaft 59 of a finish gate generally designated at 60. The finish gate comprises a central body portion 61 which supports the shaft 59. A plurality of spaced V-shaped fingers 62 extend rearwardly of the shaft. A cross bar 63 extends across the fingers along the outer leg of the V-shaped fingers 62 to engage the end of the rails to limit the movement of the finish gate. Extending upwardly or forwardly of the central body 61 are a plurality of inclined fingers 64. The finish gate 60 is positioned with the shaft 59 in the vertical slots 58 and with the V-shaped fingers 62 between the rails as best shown in Figs. 1 and 8. The shaft 59 has a knob 76 at one end thereof. In normal position the finish gate 60 will be as shown in Figs. 2 and 8 with the V-shaped fingers 62 below the rails, and the fingers 64 in up position as shown in full lines in Fig. 8. However when the first pellet hits the fingers 64, the finish gate will be pivoted so that the fingers 64 are lowered with the V- shaped fingers 62 elevated to block the end of the trackways as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8. Thus only the first pellet that descends any of the trackways enters the finish gate with the others blocked from entering. If by chance two pellets enter the finish gate simultaneously the remaining pellets are blocked ofi. Thus the winning pellet can be easily determined.

Each of the trackways A, B, C and D is provided "somewhere along the length thereof with means for causing the pellet to transfer or jump to another trackway, and one form of such means is shown in the drawings. The trackways are each provided with a rib extending upwardly from the floor of the ramp and positioned between each pair of rails. The ribs are designated by the numerals 66, 67, 68 and 69. The ribs are all substantially of the same shape and one of same is shown in detail in Fig. 11. Starting adjacent the floor of the ramp the rib is inclined angularly upward to a point above the rails. The upper edge of the rib along its length is tapered on bothsides to form a triangular upper edge designated by the numeral 70. The ribs are positioned in staggered relation along the length of the trackways so that no two ribs are in alignment. Thus it. will be seen thatrib 69 is closer to the starting gate. andrib 67 is closer to. the finish gate with the other ribs 66andr67 spaced therebetween. Any other arrangement may be used if desired.

The longitudinal axis of each of the ribs is directed inwardly as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3-and the. wallsof the outer rails 46 and 50 adjacent their respective ribs are slightly higher than the remaining portions of the rails. Thus wherethe pellets roll down the respective trackway and strike the ribs;they are caused inithe main to. be diverted to an adjacent trackway and to continue rolling. In some instances depending onhow the pellet strikes the rib the pellet will pass over. the rib and continue in the same trackway. Some pellets during. the course of a single run can pass into several trackways.

With, a plurality of pellets. all simultaneously moving down separate trackwaysof equal lengths, some pellets will be projected in the path of other pellets as they cross over trackways. Thus the race does not follow a definite pattern and varies from race to race, consequently the results of a race cannot be predetermined all resulting, in a toy which has great play value andzexcitement.

In place-"of the ribs as shown, the rails 46m 50 or the ramp may be provided with other types of ribs, projections, bosses or the rails may be sharply curved to produce the same effects as the ribs shown and same are embraced within this invention.

The starting gate 34 permits the pellets to be simultaneously started; The pellets are linedup vertically at the top of the trackway within the loop 36 of the starting gate and the gate is pivoted upwardly manually'by the knob 42 thus releasing the pellets simultaneously.

Any form of pellets may be used, and the term as herein used includes marbles, balls, tumblers and the like, however, the type shown in the drawings is preferable. Same comprises a capsule shaped hollow pellet 71 formed of two sections joined together, Within which freely rolls a ball bearing or weighted ball 72; The pellet descends the trackway in a tumbling or somersaulting fashion and same rests on the rails and not on thefioor of the ramp. The pellet keeps turning over in a somersault fashion as the Weighted ball changes its position within the pellet, housing. Each of the pellets may bear a different color'or may be suitably identified by a different number.

The toy is highly entertaining and provides excitement for both child and adult.

all

It will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a toy simulating a race course comprising an inclined ramp having a plurality of spaced rails defining a plurality of separate tortuous trackways with a pellet adapted to roll down each trackway, a starting post for holding said pellets and simultaneously releasing same for travel on said trackways, each of said trackways having an inclined rib positioned between the pair of rails and inclined upwardly from the ramp toward the lower end to at least substantially the top of the rails, each said rib being positioned between a pair of rails so that the pellet rolling down the trackway must engage and roll over said rib to cause said pellet to transfer to another trackway, the rib on each trackway being staggered with respect to the ribs on the other trackways.

2. In a toy simulating a race course comprising an inclined ramp having a plurality of spaced rails defining a plurality of separate tortuous trackways with a pellet adapted to roll down each trackway, a starting post for holding said pellets and simultaneously releasing same for travel on said trackways, each of said trackways having an inclined rib positioned between the pair of rails and inclined upwardly from the ramp toward the lower end to at least substantially the top of the rails, each said rib being positioned between a pair of rails so that the pellet rolling down the trackway must engage and roll over said rib to cause said pellet to transfer to another trackway, the rib on each trackway being staggered with respect to the ribs on the other trackways, and means adjacent the finish line of the trackways engaged 'by the first pellet reaching the end of a trackway to block the further travel of the remaining pellets when said pellets reach the finish line.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 597,764 De Ribas Jan. 25, 1898 1,576,140 Schneider Mar. 9, 1926 1,660,715 Lingenfelder Feb. 28, 1928 1,673,705 Pesnel June 12, 1928 2,236,536 Hilton Apr. 1, 1941 2,726,869 Schulte Dec. 13, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 372,315 Germany a Mar. 26, 1923 511,655 Great Britain Aug. 22, 1939 

